class

After School & Saturday STEAM Programs for Kids in Westchester, NY at The Digital Arts Experience (The DAE).

NEW CLASSES

We strive to stay cutting edge, which is why we’ve introduced new classes this Spring including: Tabletop Game Design, It’s Alive! Bringing Monsters to Life with Blender, Product Design & more!

FLEXIBLE SCHEDULES

Enroll in either 6 or 12 weeks of a course. Weekday programs are 90 minutes long, weekend are 2 hours.

CREATE SOMETHING AMAZING

Our programs follow DAE curriculum designed with STEAM fields in mind. We want our students to have fun all while learning the most up to date digital arts and technology skills!

Starting March 7th, we will be offering a whole new set of youth programs. From 3D Printing to Animation, have your child explore their creative interests in one of our after school or weekend programs.

North Salem Students 3D Print Local Landmarks

Over the past six weeks, The Digital Arts Experience (The DAE) has been teaching 3D Printing to students ages 10-12 at the Ruth Keeler Memorial Library in North Salem, NY. The class used their new knowledge of 3D printing to create miniature replications of local historical buildings.

“This class puts a unique spin on our normal 3D Printing with Minecraft class. Working with the town of North Salem, we secured blueprints and drawings of a number of historical buildings in town, and the students were challenged to use Minecraft to create 3D models based on the drawings,” says Rob Kissner, President of The DAE.

Buildings modeled thus far include Delancy Hall, Croton Fall School House and Briddleside in addition to others. After receiving the blueprints, students went to work in Minecraft’s Creative Mode to map and build out each structure. Minecraft makes for an excellent modeling tool because every block is the same size, making it simple to build to scale. It’s a natural fit with kids because they don’t need to learn an abstract CAD program, but rather can use a program they are comfortable and confident with. DAE instructors love using Minecraft in a class setting because it’s accessible; building in Creative Mode is all about exploring, planning, creating and collaborating.

“I was amazed at how intricate their projects were. They all took their time to pay attention to each detail to ensure their models were accurate,” said Lory Murariu, an instructor from The Digital Arts Experience. “This project really challenged the students to think critically about the blueprints they were given and how to convert them into 3D models for print.”

Last week, The DAE took models that the students designed in Minecraft and 3D Printed them at the Makerspace inside their White Plains facility. With five 3D Printers, The DAE has created thousands of hours of student work.

The DAE hosts after school, weekend and summer STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts & math) programs for kids and teens ages six and up. They hold classes at their White Plains location and also send instructors throughout Westchester to teach programs at various locations. To learn more about what The DAE can teach at your school or organization, visit: https://www.thedae.com/schools.

Let’s face it — kids can take a Scratch Programming class in many different places throughout Westchester County, or do the Hour of Code from home. There are a million and one ways to learn about 3D printing, computer programming or animation. You get the picture… And so do we.

But there’s the thing: experience. Meaningful learning is all about the experience. Knowledge retention happens when a person can put emotion behind the skills they learn.

Think about driving. Someone can show you or tell you how to drive all day long while you’re in the passenger’s seat, but until you get in the driver’s seat, get your hands on the wheel, put on your blinker, run over a few curbs and get pulled over for speeding, you really don’t learn very much. (We don’t encourage speeding, by the way! It was a metaphor…)

At the DAE, students drive. They get their hands on the tech. They try to go too fast and run into problems. We teach our kids about failure and how not to panic when something goes wrong — about how glitches are good because they teach us what we need to fix. We encourage thoughtfulness and problem solving, discussion and thinking outside the box.

Our world is so fast. It’s easy to throw information at people (especially kids) and expect them to get it. (Those kids with their iPads just know how to do all the things!) Classes at the DAE are different. They’re inclusive. They’re project-based. And they’re fun! We invite you to visit us and find out why.

The Digital Arts Experience will now be offering classes on Sundays starting in January 2016.

At The Digital Arts Experience, our goal is to offer cutting edge STEM/STEAM/computer technology classes for the kids and teens of Westchester County, New York. After running another series of successful Saturday programs this Fall, we have decided to now open our doors on Sundays!

We find that weekends are for the most part more convenient for many families to enroll in our programs and visit our facility. With Saturday as one of our busiest days, it was a no-brainer to us to open our doors on Sundays.

Starting the weekend of January 16 & 17, we will start up new 8-week sessions in 3D Printing, Animation, Computer Programming, Design, Electronics and more! We are excited to run several new programs which include:

3D Character Modeling & Sculpting

With Blender, a 3D modeling and texturing program, students will learn to create detailed 3D models and sculptures. Using a digital drawing tablet, students will learn how to sculpt an object from scratch into a highly detailed character. Each week students will work on different projects to hone their skills and by the end of the class will have portfolio ready projects completed.

SAT: 01/16 – 03/12, 10AM – 12PM, Ages 9-12

SUN: 01/17 – 03/13 11:15AM – 1:15PM, Ages 9-12

Wearable Technology

Wearable technology is becoming more and more popular everyday, especially when devices such as fit bits and apple watches exist. However, what if we were to incorporate technology into fashion? In this class, students will learn to invent and create a functional wearable garment, such as a shirt that lights up when reacting to sound, light, or temperature.

SAT: 01/16 – 03/12, 12:45PM – 2:45PM, Ages 9-12

SUN: 01/17 – 03/13 11:15AM – 1:15PM, Ages 9-12

3D Jewelry Design

From rings to earrings and necklaces and hair clips, there is practically no limitation to what you can create in this class. Using CAD software, students will design original pieces of custom fit jewelry. Students will also learn how to safely and proposal operate our 3D printers, and use them to print their creations!